Plot Summary
After a tragedy takes their son from them, Stanley and Lisa’s marriage is on the rocks and they seemingly have no purpose in life. As they try to sort through what’s left of their son’s possessions, Lisa is given a mysterious lamp by one of her neighbors, who tells her that it has special powers. Though Stanley is skeptical and angry, Lisa chooses to believe that the lamp can help them. Little do they know what is coming to them next.
Production Quality (2 points)
For the most part, The Lamp has good funding behind it that produces a decently above average production. All the typical elements are good, including video quality, camera work, and audio quality. The soundtrack is also intriguing. The editing is also fine as the story is presented well. However, the sets and locations are fairly limited to a handful of neighborhood areas, houses, and a baseball field. Also, the biggest nagging issue here is the use of odd special effects to ‘enhance’ the experience—yet they only end up coming off as cheesy. Overall, this is a good enough production, but the cheesy special effects tend to put a damper on things.
Plot and Storyline Quality (1 point)
Based on a novel by Jim Stovall, The Lamp is a very unique Christian storyline that, while it has an interesting point and purpose, it also has a slightly silly premise. The plot is somewhat slow to develop, but the dialogue improves as it goes and helps to build the characters. There is a good use of flashbacks, but they are sometimes too disorienting. As previously mentioned, though there is a good point here, there are also too many goofy magical elements that are introduced and only downplayed later. This makes for a confusing viewing experience. Also, in the end, things are fixed too easily, although there is an interesting twist that many will find interesting. Overall, many will enjoy the uniqueness of The Lamp and there’s certainly nothing wrong with it—we just feel it could have been better.
Acting Quality (2 points)
At first, the acting of this film is atrocious. Emotions are very extreme at first and there is far too much yelling in the first half hour. However, the acting does get better as it goes as the cast members settle into their roles better and deliver their lines more smoothly. In the end, it becomes an above average performance.
Conclusion
The Lamp is a textbook average film—with good production backing, it looks good on the surface. It’s based on a book by a popular author, so that also works in its favor. It also has recognizable cast members. While average is awesome in the Christian entertainment market, we want movies to take that next step into greatness. It’s definitely difficult to do, but in the end, it’s so worth it.
Final Rating: 5 out of 10 points
Box Office Revolution 